Electric railway.



' No. 73?,512. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1.903.. E. G. BOYN TON.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 5, I903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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a/ y & 1 /Z .N I m i a N N A C umov, wnsmnawn n c A Snow do z No. 732,512. v I PATENTED-JUNB30 ,1903..

- o. BOYNTON. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 190a.

NO MODEL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

(lww/M/{bv W CLWWA v Fatented June so, 1903.

PAT NT OFFICE.

EDWARD C. BOYNTON, OF NEWBURGH, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 732,512, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed March 5, 1903. Serial No. 146,419- (No model.)

trolley type; and it has for its object to' provide a simple and efficient means of supplying such current to the motors of cars or trains in car-yards or in places where there is a number of parallel tracks.

Heretofore it has not been practical to util ize electric railways of the third-rail or trolley type in places where there are numbers of parallel tracks and crossing-tracks from one line to another and branching from one or more main-line tracks having either overhead or third-rail trolley-conductors parallel therewith-such, for instance, as are found in caryards where cars are switched from one line of tracks to another -owing to the fact thatby reason of the crossing and intercrossingof the lines of track or service rails there is offered great danger of short-circuitin g of the currents from the third rails. Furthermore,

such a multiplicity of third rails necessarily increases the danger to employees and other or working in the persons passing through yards.

My invention is designed to afford a simpleand efficient means of avoiding these objectionable features; and to this end it consists, broadly, in combining with existing types of trolley or third-rail systems which are provided with a number of branching parallel lines or tracks at the desired points a seriesof branch feeders or contacting conductors extending across or over the several parallel lines of track or service rails at definite intervals and supported by beams or timbers upon posts at their opposite ends or wholly from an overheadmeans of support,-the arrangement being such that the current may be supplied to the motors from an underrunning trolley shoe or skate adapted to bridge the space between any two or more of such branch feeders or contacting conductors as the car or train passes over or by the end of the trolley-conductor or third rail when being switched or transferred from the main track or tracks or when continuing on its direct course. In other words, my invention embraces the existing well-known types of trolley or third-rail systems, in which the current is conveyed to a motor or motors on the cars thereof by a current-collector, shoe, or trolley adapted to bear under or against the trolley-conductor or upon the third rail when in use upon a main line, in combination with track-rails.

Referring now to the drawings in detail for a full and clear understanding of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to construct and use the-same, and first to Fig. 1, T T represent a single or main line oftrack or service rails entering a car-yard 'wherein are located several parallel sets of track or service rails T T T T T and what are known as crossing track-rails T T for enabling cars or trains to be transferred from any one line of rails to another. TB is a third rail for conveying electrical current to the inotors on the cars when on the main track, said third rail being located, as is usual, outside and parallel with one of said lines of rail.

F is a current-feeder connected either to the third rail TR or to an independent source of electrical energy and electrically connected to a series of branch feedersin the nature of steel trusses or L beams F F F, &c., supported and insulated from posts 1? P, P P P P P P ,.&c., said branch feeders being located at definite intervals and preferably at an equal distance above the level of the tracks, so that their lower surfaces are on substantially the same level, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. In place of metal I- beams F F F, &c., wooden or other stringers might be substituted therefor with flat copper conductors secured to the under surface thereof in any preferred manner and connected directly to the feeder F, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

0 represents an electric locomotive of wellknown form, provided with the usual trucks, as shown, and contacting shoes or currentcollectors S S for conveying the current from the third rail TR to the motor or motors (not shown) on board of the car.

S is an elongated skate or contact-shoe, preferably of the same length as the car and of good conducting material, said skate or shoe being pivotally secured, preferably, to two or more trolley-arms A A A of wellknown type, two of said trolley-arms A A being secured directly to bases carried by braced supportsBB and the middle or third one A directly upon the roof of the car or locomotive-cab. Said trolley-arms are pro vided with the usual springs or yielding de vices for maintaining the skate or shoe S in any desired position and with the proper upward pressure and preferably such as to give to the upper surface thereof good electrical contact with the under surfaces of the branch feeders or contacting conductors F F F, &c., as it passes thereunder. The greatest distance between any two of such branch feeders or conductors is usually slightly less than the length of the shoe or skate S. Said trolley-shoe or skate is connected in a manner well understood directly with the motors on board the cars and may be provided with the usual trolley-cord and appliances in the cab for holding it in any desired position, the arrangement being such that when the lower set of trolley shoes or contacts S leave the third rail TR, as will be understood on inspection of Fig. 2, by passing fromleft to right the upper skate or contactshoe S will have underrunning electrical contact with the branch feeders or contacting conductors F F F, &c., in sequence and the circuit to the motor or motors will never be broken. These branch feeders or conductors F F F &c., as will be understood, bridge the entire width of all the tracks over which they are located, so that when a car is transferred from the main-track rails T T to anyother track or over any one of the crossing tracks T there will always be electrical contact between the contact-shoe or skate S and some one of the branch feeders or contacting conductors F F F 850. In Fig. 20f the drawings I have shown how this same trolley-shoe or skate S may be used with a service or working conductor T R for the main track. In this instance a wooden or other insulating stringer is provided and secured to cross ties or beams with a feeder or conductor similar to TB and on a level with the lower surface of the feeders or conductors F F F, said working conductor being in the nature of an inverted steel or other metal trough, such as is well known in the art, the arrangement being such that when the trolley-shoe orskate leaves the last branch feeder l? in passing from right to left it will come into electrical contact with the service or working conductor TR' and maintain electrical connection therewith.

While I have shown the branch feeders or conductors F F F, 850., as being in the nature of steel I-beams supported upon posts, they may be supported in any other preferred manneras, for instance, by trusses sustained at their opposite ends from pillars or posts or on walls, or where the service or track rails are located in a building, as in union depots, said conductors may be supported directly from the trusses of the building,such manner of support being well known and within the skill of the engineer, my invention being directed, broadly, to the arrangement of branch feeders or conductors over the tracks and in such manner that the working current may be supplied to the mo-' tors upon the 'cars as they pass thereunder and no matter upon which one of a series of substantially parallel tracks a car or train propelled by said motor or motors may be traveling.

I wish it distinctly understood that my claims are of the most generic nature as to the combination of means for supplying current to an electrically-propelled motor car or train when passing either over a main track having a contacting trolley-conduct0r or third rail parallel therewith or any one of a series of parallel tracks branching therefrom through the agency of cross branch feeders supported above the parallel tracks and in such manner that there is no danger to employees or other persons passing over the tracks in the yard or building or other places where such lines of parallel tracks may be located, and my claims are generic as to such features.

I am aware that prior to my invention an electric railway had been devised in which the current supplied to the motor on the cars was conveyed thereto by overhead cross-conductors extending over a main track and a branch track and supported upon posts on the opposite sides of each track or each branch track, and I make no claim hereinafter broad enough to include such a structure, my most generic claim in this particular being to a series of cross-conductors which extend continuously across a series of tracks, so that a car provided with an upwardly-bearing skate or shoe may swing from one track to another and maintain the contact between the shoe and the cross-conductors without interrupting the circuit to the motors on board the same, the cross-conductors being so supported that the lateral movement of the cars in being switched from track to track is not interfered with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A railway system embracing a main-line track, a contacting trolley-conductor or third rail parallel therewith and extending over the route; in combination with two or more parallel tracks branching therefrom and a series of overheadcontacting conductors extending entirely across all of said tracks and electrically connected to a source of electrical energy, together with means for supporting said conductors in such manner that the lat-- eral movement of the cars in being switched from track to track is not interfered with, substantially as described.

2. In an electric-railway system a main-line track and a contacting trolley-conductor or third rail therefor extending over the route and parallel therewith; in combination with a series of substantially parallel tracks branching therefrom and a series of overhead contacting conductors extending entirely across all of said tracks and electrically connected to a source of electrical energy; together with means for supporting said conductors in such manner that the lateral movement of the cars in being switched from track to" track is not interfered with, substantially as described.-

3. In an electric-railway system a main-line track and a contacting trolley-conductor or third rail therefor extending entirely over the route and parallel therewith; a series of substantially parallel tracks branchingfrom the main-line track; a series of crossing tracks for transferring cars from any one of said parallel tracks to another; in combination with a series of overhead conductors extending entirely across all of said tracks and electrically connected to a source of electrical energy; together with means for supporting said conductors in such manner that the lateral movementof the cars in being switched from track to track is not interfered with.

4. In an electric-railway system a main-line track and a contacting trolley-conductor or third rail therefor extending entirely over the route and parallel therewith; in combination with a series of substantially parallel tracks branching from the main-line track; a series of overhead contacting conductors extending entirely across all of said tracks and located at substantially the same height therefrom; together with means for supporting the same in such manner that the lateral movement of the cars in being switched from track to track is not interfered with; said conductors being connected to a source of electrical energy, substantially as described.

5. In an electric-railway system a main-line track and a contacting trolley-conductor or third rail therefor extending entirely over the route and parallel therewith; a series of substantially parallel tracks branching from the main-line track; a series of overhead coutacting conductors extending entirely across all of said tracks and electrically connected to a source of electrical energy; in combination with means for supporting said conductors in such manner that the lateral movement of the cars in being switched from track to track is not interfered with; together with a motor-car or electric locomotive having a contacting shoe or skate adapted to bridge the space between any two or more conductors, said shoe or skate being electrically connected to a motor or motors on board the car or locomotive, substantially as described.

6. Anelectric-railway system embracing one or more main-line tracks; one or more parallel third rails or contacting conductors therefor extending entirely over the route and aseries of tracks branching from the main-line track or tracks; in combination with a series of branch feeders or contacting conductors extending entirely over all of said tracks; together with means for supporting said conductors, substantially as described.

7. An electric-railway system embracing a main-line track; a series of tracks branching therefrom and a third rail or contacting conductor therefor; in combination with a series of tracks branching from the first-named track and a series of branch feeders or contacting conductors extending entirely across or over all of said tracks; together with means for supporting said conductors, substantially as described.

8. An electric-railway system embracing one or more main-line tracks; one or more third rails or contacting conductors parallel therewith and connected to a source of electrical energy; in combination with a series of tracks branching from the first-named track or tracks and .a series of continuous overhead contacting conductors located above said tracks at right angles thereto, said conductors offering continuous contacting surfaces from end to end over the entire series of tracks and electrically connected with a source of electrical energy; together with one or more motor-cars or electric locomotivesname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD O. BOYNTON.

Witnesses:

E. E. RoosA, FRANK BRADBURY. 

